rowan Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Oh, dear. I couldn't really see the Act 1 girls group dancing because of "leaners" in front of me! The usher made them sit back after the first interval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Wish they'd do that more often (the ushers, I mean). When you're several rows back from the culprits, it's difficult to get anything done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousem40 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I just returned from tonight's performance (Osipova/Golding, Naghdi/Ball) In my opinion, tonight's showing by Osipova was on a par, if not better, than her Giselle last year (which was world class) The mirror PDD was an overwhelming emotional journey, as was the final scene. One of those rare nights at the ROH which has left me in awe - not just of Osipova, but of all four of them. Outstanding 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 One of those rare nights at the ROH which has left me in awe - not just of Osipova, but of all four of them. Outstanding I totally agree ... but surely you mean five .... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 An OUTSTANDING performance by Osipova/Golding-Naghdi/Ball and Bennet Gartside tonight. A very rare night indeed. What a cast, such passion, so many emotions, such wonderful dancing. Osipova/Golding and Naghdi/Ball are simply a dream cast, an "Onegin" performance I shall never forget. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mshovelt Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Last night was my first ever Onegin and what an exhilarating ride it was. The pdds in the first and last act were two of the most intense pdds I have ever witnessed. Though I went in fully prepared, having already seen her in Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet amongst others, I was still totally blown away by Osipova's performance. Indeed, the whole cast of Osipova, Golding, Naghdi, Ball and Gartside (and not forgetting the corps) were wonderful. As I said, the two Tatiana/Onegin pdds were the main highlight for me. The first, mirror, pdd was astonishing; Golding throwing Osipova around the stage like a ragdoll, yet never anything but 100% in control; her Tatiana submitting herself entirely to Onegin. I can't imagine the level of technical difficulty in performing that. And at the end, in the last act, her inner conflict laid bare on the stage; her steely-eyed yet trembling rejection of Onegin and even after he had fled the room, a broken man; her uncertainty as to whether she had done the right thing. Utterly captivating. Another particular highlight for me was Lensky's solo before the duel. Beautifully danced by Matthew Ball, it was desperately sad; you really felt that Lensky already knew exactly how this was going to end. Trapped by protocol, his strict set of principles and, I suppose, his youthful naivety, he knew he had to go through with it but was probably going to lose to his friend, who you could tell had really not wanted to accept the challenge in the first place and was truly despairing on realising what he had done. Bravo Matthews Golding & Ball! Aside from the solos and pdds, I also really enjoyed the big corps dances; dazzling choreography very well danced and a miracle there weren't any collisions! The little vignettes (not sure whether that's the right word) between the curtains during the scene changes were also very clever. As for the music, I enjoyed it but didn't find it particularly memorable; it's not like I was humming the tunes as I left the theatre. However, the effect it had on amplifying the drama and emotion being acted out on the stage was palpable, and I think that is how it is meant to be: a constant presence, never drawing attention to itself, playing a supporting role lifting the performance to another level. In summary, a really enjoyable evening and all the more upsetting that I will never witness that particular performance again. The inability to capture and retain such a performance is the real tragedy. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Lovely reviews thank you, wish I could have seen it. Edited February 17, 2015 by Don Q Fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BristolBillyBob Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Great review, mshovelt, thank you for posting. The mirror PDD, in particular, sounds amazing. *makes note to see the Osipova cast when this returns* Edited February 17, 2015 by BristolBillyBob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousem40 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Well said Mshovelt! A few other memorable points if I may. I remember reading the posts here and looking forward to seeing 'grand jetésGate'. They had to absolutely blast them out with the music playing at that speed, they were panting, faces were showing the real effort and physical pain of having to deliver them and be off the stage so quickly. I felt sorry for the corps, but they did very well. It seemed like Osipova was in tears several times during the performance. As has been mentioned before, it took her 2 curtain calls to come out of character and out of her extreme emotional distress before really enjoying the applause. She really becomes Tatiana. The complete turnaround in Golding's persona, from dispassionate self centred cad at the party, to a broken shell of a man, an emotional wreck in the final scene was astonishing. I was taken aback. It was almost difficult to watch a man so broken like that. During the mirror pdd I couldn't stop shaking my head. In disbelief at what I was seeing, total control, total mastery, while being thrown around like that. Coupled with such intense emotion and exhilaration.Then also because I realised (like Mshovelt) that this was going to be one of those utterly special evenings of ballet that I would never be able to watch again. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mshovelt Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Absolutely mousem40. To borrow a sporting metaphor, the whole cast left absolutely everything on the stage. It must have been mentally as well as physically exhausting and, as you say, you could still see the emotion etched onto Osipova's face through the first couple of curtain calls. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barton22 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I am not sure whether this has already been mentioned, but for those interested in Eugene Onegin the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Moscow is performing its very well reviewed theatre adaptation of the novel at the Barbican this week (in Russian with translation on screens). It is sold out, but as the Barbican allows for returns I suspect that a few tickets will pop up on the website from time to time. Link below: http://www.barbican.org.uk/theatre/event-detail.asp?ID=16622 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Wonderful performance last night from the whole cast. It was the first time that I have seen Onegin and I feel so fortunate to have seen this cast. I note that there has been some comment that Osipova changed the steps and that the mirror pdd had a mishap. As I don't know this ballet at all I cannot judge that. However, it was a very moving and harrowing performance. The pdd with Gremin was very tender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Wonderful performance last night from the whole cast. It was the first time that I have seen Onegin and I feel so fortunate to have seen this cast. I note that there has been some comment that Osipova changed the steps and that the mirror pdd had a mishap. As I don't know this ballet at all I cannot judge that. However, it was a very moving and harrowing performance. The pdd with Gremin was very tender. One of the lifts in the mirror PDD was fudged (the second in a series of three) but their handling of the recovery was inspired. If you hadn't of known ... you wouldn't. Magic. Edited February 17, 2015 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 (edited) Does anyone know if Sarah is still dancing on Friday, she has been pulled out of some Swan Lake's but is still cast on Friday? Just realised its not this Friday but the next one. Edited February 17, 2015 by SPD444 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Another very emotional evening last night, Matthew Ball is a true star in the making, I used to be a bit bored with the second act duel scene but his dancing is so heartbreaking, it almost becomes the saddest part of the whole ballet, he also has a perfect " ballet "face, what a partnership he and Yasmine Naghdi could become! The whole cast were inspired again, Matthew Golding and Natalia Osipova reminded me of Cojocaru and Kobborg especially in the mirror pdd, the same abandon and risk-taking, even if it did produce a mishap, I prefer that to playing safe! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwellings Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 5 stars from Mr Crisp for last night...http://m.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9e47bbe0-b690-11e4-95dc-00144feab7de.html 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Nick, I can't get past their 'please pay us' wall, so could you kindly précis what Mr Crisp said? Just a couple of lines would satisfy my curiosity! Many thanks indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Sim I have no problem reading the full review after clicking on the above link & no message showing "please pay us". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 There is a limit to the number of articles one can view via the FT website per month without having a subscription. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousem40 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) The FT article: No praise is too high for Osipova’s reading. Her rare gifts have been variously traduced by some of the stuff she has danced in London since quitting the Bolshoi Ballet. As Tatiana we see the whole artist, and the whole progress of the tragedy shown with subtle grace — so real her infatuation for Onegin; so wounding his rejection; so sure her love for Gremin (the magnificent Bennet Gartside), so terrible the final parting from Onegin. It is a wholly truthful performance. Mousem40, I have deleted most of the quotation from this post as it is in breach of the AUP to quote articles wholesale. Edited February 18, 2015 by Janet McNulty Edited to remove most of the quoted article 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousem40 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 'so sure her love for Gremin' I'm not so sure about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 If you google "Financial Times Onegin" a link for the review shows up. You should be able to access it that way: https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=financial+times+onegin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ENBlover Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 'so sure her love for Gremin' I'm not so sure about that. Tatiana does display a lot of true affection and love for Gremin in the scene that precedes her last pdd with Onegin. I thought it was acted subtly, but with a lot of real warmth and feeling towards Tatiana's husband. I don't think it's possible to understand Tatiana's ultimate rejection of Onegin without appreciating how much she's grown to love Gremin. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mshovelt Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 'so sure her love for Gremin' I'm not so sure about that. No, I didn't get that either. Sure, I believe that Tatiana was settled in her marriage and that she was happy with Gremin. However, the ending, where she pursues Onegin, only stopping at the threshold through strength of will, betrays the fact that deep down she really still loved Onegin and that his reappearance had been a real test of her marriage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mousem40 Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) I agree. It seems like a passionless marriage, a marriage that 'makes sense' - and passion is the overwhelming connection she has with Onegin which she still craves. My apologies Janet, I understand. Edited February 18, 2015 by Mousem40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 If you google "Financial Times Onegin" a link for the review shows up. You should be able to access it that way: https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=financial+times+onegin Or, if that doesn't work: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22Her+rare+gifts+have+been+variously+traduced%22&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=nws&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=Wc3kVOvGK4vsaOqbgKgC&ved=0CCUQqAI will do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 (edited) It seems like a passionless marriage, a marriage that 'makes sense' - and passion is the overwhelming connection she has with Onegin which she still craves. Love - like life itself - is not just black and white, either passionate or passionless. There are many varieties and guises between these two opposite types of love and each of them will be called “love” by different people. If some are interested in this great novel, “Eugene Onegin”, and want to learn more about it, they can come to Pushkin House at 5A, Bloomsbury Sq. for an interesting lecture: PROFESSOR SIMON FRANKLIN: PUSHKIN’S EUGENE ONEGIN Monday, February 23, 2015. 7:00pm 8:30pm Simon Franklin is Professor of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the British Academy. http://www.pushkinhouse.org/events/2015/2/23/professor-simon-franklin-pushkins-eugene-onegin Edit: the link added. Edited February 19, 2015 by Amelia 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I've just read Mr Crisp's review. I don't remember the 3rd act polonaise at all! Is he saying it is terrible at every performance, or just the one he was referring to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina G. Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 He refers to the one he watched on Wednesday, and it is the Corps de Ballet ensemble dancing (in those long dresses) at the beginning of Act 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 (Only the women, of course ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_New Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 A stunning last performance tonight - moving and beautiful. Loved every moment! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 So did I, Jackie. This was a superlative performance of Onegin, and I couldn't have wished for a better one to have ended the run. Laura Morera and Federico Bonelli were both superb, and equally matched in every way: technically, dramatically, emotionally, passionately. They combined raw emotion with intelligence, and the result was just a joy to behold. Act 3 was truly heart-breaking, and gosh I could feel their pain. This was the most equally matched couple of the run for me, and that is one of the reasons it worked so well. Morera threw herself into the bedroom pdd with such joyful abandon that the contrast in the Act 3 pdd was all the more devastating and effective. Bonelli matched her with strong yet sensitive partnering. Morera is on fine form, and I will be chaining myself to the tree outside the ROH in protest if she is not given Juliet and/or Mary Vetsera next outing. I just cannot understand why this wonderful dance actress has been so under-used. A very nice Lensky from Donald Thom; his Act 2 solo was beautifully done and the futility of his impending death really came across. He reminded me a bit of a young David Wall. I really admire Kevin O'Hare for giving his young dancers the chance to dance these big roles, and on the whole they have well rewarded his trust in them. Having seen Thom, Ball and Edmonds as Lensky the future of the male roles in the RB rep is in good hands. The corps de ballet were on great form too, and the series of diagonal jetes were executed with perfect timing and got the applause they deserved. A sweet performance from Yuhui Choe as Olga, and the ever-wonderful Gary Avis as Gremin added even more depth to an already emotional performance. He was so proud of his Tatiana, and so tender and respectful towards her, that we could sympathise deeply with Tatiana's dilemma but then understand why she rejects Onegin. She is, literally, kissing passion and excitement goodbye and sticking with the security that she knows, and the comfort of someone who loves and respects her. In the poem, she tells Onegin: "I do not like this life, but I am and always will be another man's wife." After Morera danced these words and sent Onegin away, she looked like she had been kicked in the stomach, such was her pain. Many of us in the audience felt that too, and that was the result of these two brilliant performances. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_New Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Beautifully put, Sim. I could see exactly what Tatiana was thinking at every moment. I found her solo in the ball particularly nuanced and moving, as she conveyed such yearning and confusion. In the two pdd they were fearless, and took risks that only heightened the story - they weren't done for 'show'. For me it was the performance of the run, and I will carry it with me for a long time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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